E Komo Mai! Welcome!

Welcome to our Zero Waste blog. Here we will post about our journey and what we have learned along the way. We hope to help those living on Hawaii Island who want to live a zero waste lifestyle to find the resources they need to thrive as zero wasters. We also want to document our progress with others to inspire them that if two college students can make the change, then so can you!

What is Zero Waste?

Zero waste is a decision and commitment to yourself, the environment, and your future to take steps and make an effort to decrease a negative impact on the world around you. Creating absolutely zero waste is not the end goal in zero waste, the goal is to make the effort, be the change.

We suggest starting small like we have. Slowly replacing plastic and disposable products in your home with reusable metal, glass, or paper options to avoid sending waste to the landfill. Start with a room in your house and slowly expand from there. When you start out on your own journey, it is going to be a bit expensive.

Not gonna lie here, when we began our journey we went in full force. We examined our lifestyle, our living situation, our eating habits, and the things we buy. We examined it all and began eliminating what we no longer needed. We bought jars, stainless steel products, ingredients to make our own homemade recipes, and started shopping in bulk. It was exciting and it still is. It’s an adventure to roam through our local health store in search of items we need.

In about a month and a half, we spent over $300 in new and used reusable items! We’ve slowed down a bit and I’m trying my hand at sewing and making things by hand. It’s not all easy, but it’s worth it. I promise.